Stops added as shuttle bus use grows
(CNS): Officials from the ministry responsible for roads and infrastructure have said that the free hop-on-hop-off shuttle service launched in November is gaining in popularity and so the routes have been extended to include more key locations, including major supermarkets. Minister Joey Hew said the service designed to cut traffic congestion was now gaining traction.
“Now that the George Town shuttle service has been operating for just over a month, it is starting to gain recognition within the community,” he said, adding that during the first week of the year 182 people used the free shuttle around George Town. “We want this growth to continue and so have introduced new routes based upon invaluable feedback. We are encouraged that this service is gaining traction, and look forward to seeing more support from members of the public.”
The service was introduced by Hew’s ministry under the National Energy Policy and the long-awaited George Town revitalisation project. It aims to cut some traffic in and around central George Town and reduce carbon emissions caused by motorists.
Energy Policy Coordinator Kristen Augustine said the bus shuttle service is designed to help people navigate George Town, while addressing traffic and parking issues. “We want to ensure that we are offering what our community members need and so we asked for feedback. Our service users told us that they need help getting to and from major supermarkets. We listened and have developed new lines that should see even more people benefitting from the shuttles,” she said.
The new routes now include both Foster’s Airport Centre and Kirk Market stores.
But the revitalisation project manager, Colin Lumsden, said that despite the free bus service, there is still a lot of lunchtime traffic congestion in central George Town, so his team wants to hear from the people that drive around at these times to see if the shuttles can be adapted to meet their needs. “If we can gain this important understanding of our community’s needs and wants, we can truly make an impact on traffic congestion,” he added.
The shuttle now runs daily from Monday to Friday, 8:00am to 6:00mm.
The bus stops are as follows:
Line 1
- Behind Immigration
- Cayman National Bank bus stop
- Fosters – Airport Centre
- Farmers’ Market – Huldah Avenue
- Credit Union – Huldah Avenue
- The Pines Retirement Home
- Rear of Health Services Authority
- Front of Health Services Authority
- Opposite Police Station – Elgin Avenue
- Heroes Square – Edward Street
- Old Scotia Bank – Albert Panton Street
- Anderson Square, Shedden Road
- Government Administration Building
Line 2
- Behind Immigration building
- The Pines Retirement Home
- Rear of Health Service Authority
- Front of Health Services Authority
- Opposite Police Station – Elgin Avenue
- Heroes Square – Edward Street
- Burger King – Waterfront
- Kirk Market
- WORC/NAU office – Mary Street
- Anderson Square
- Government Administration Building
For more information visit the National Energy Policy website.
The buses need to run at rush hour 7am to 9am and 4:30pm to 6:30pm and they need to run routes which commuters use cars on, east and west of George town. That will help solve the real traffic problems. I don’t know who is planning this but they don’t seems to have a clue because a free bus running circles in George town is not decreasing traffic.
This should run from central gt to governors beach with stops on the way or else it won’t do traffic any favors.
That is great news and the expanded routes certainly seem more useful. I wonder how long it would take to get to kirks during lunch hour?
It would be helpful if the stops were labelled so that people don’t have to remember exactly where at GAB (for example) they need to stand to wait.
Why not Hurleys? Randy should sue.
Needs to come out further East
I have taken it! It was super useful for me pre-Christmas to avoid parking when all the other shoppers were out. This new route will be even better for me to get to the supermarkets.
I have also taken Flex and while expensive it was extremely handy. Far better than calling, waiting 40 mins, calling again, then having them pretend they never spoke to you.
Finally – Options!!
Yes Flex is yet another rip off.
They will have spent more time setting up the biz than actually in biz unless they drop fares by at least 25%
Government won’t let them drop their fares. Heaven forbid they might put taxi drivers out of business (rip off business).
Exactly, that’s why I feel bad for flex.
Thus service is not reducing traffic.
It is a very welcome free service for those without a car to get around town & now to two grocery stores.
It’s a great idea, but not to reduce traffic.
This is undoubtedly correct as anyone who has ever been on a minibus or employed a housekeeper knows. Instead of $2, this shuttle is free, and it moves around the areas that low earners without cars live and shop, if not also work. So of course it’s going to get some use. But it isn’t going to take cars off the road in a detectable way. Still, everything we have now started with something else, so maybe a proper publicly-run bus service comes out of this. That I would use if it stopped near either my home or office, because I could leave my car at one end and get back to it without too much trouble if I needed it.
joey…they guy who banned uber here because he wanted to protect the rip=off taxi cartel……zzzzzz
tells you everything you need to know.
joey’s legacy will be the man who stood by and let the island be choked with traffic congestion.
a timetable would be helpful. what’s the point in having a bus service if you could be waiting 45 mins for its arrival?
do you honestly believe a timetable would even be remotely accurate? LOL
7.19am The timetable would comprise two words – “soon come”, you cannot fault that for accuracy.
Timetable is supposed to be every 15 minutes (according to other reports). So more of a timetable than the other public buses. What they really need to do is get them all on (something like) K-Bus so you can see when your bus is approaching your stop. (And weatherpoof stops; but early days yet for this service so I can understand them starting with stickers on the ground until they get the locations really dialled in.)